“Concussion” Doctor Says Children Shouldn’t Be Allowed To Play Football

We’re weeks away from the release of the controversial Will Smith film Concussion based on the groundbreaking neurological findings of Dr. Bennet Omalu. The forensic pathologist was the first to discover the correlation between contact sports and long term brain injuries. In a new article, Omalu says the brain doesn’t begin to fully develop until age 18; parents should not allow their children to play football as they are not old enough to consent to the longterm health affects. “We should at least wait for our children to grow up [and] provide [them] with information and education on the risk of play and let them make their own decisions” he said. “We have a legal age for drinking alcohol; for joining the military; for voting; for smoking; for driving; and for consenting to have sex; we must have the same when it comes to protecting the organ that defines who we are as human beings” he added. NY Daily News

NYC Will Pay $200K To Whistleblower Who Exposed Racial Quotas

When New York City police officer, Craig Matthews complained about being forced to participate in unlawful stops and arrests of minorities in order to maintain a certain quota, he was reprimanded. Matthews says his defiance resulted in low performance evaluations as well as harassment from his bosses and colleagues. The 17-year police veteran filed a federal lawsuit in 2012 but it was dismissed. A court of appeals later reinstated the lawsuit and said his complaints were protected by the 1st Amendment. Matthew will now receive a settlement from the city of nearly $200,000 in damages and lost wages. The city however, has not admitted any wrongdoing in the settlement. Huffington Post

The Terms “Negro” and “Oriental” Removed From Federal Laws

Asian American Representative Grace Meng (D-N.Y.) recently helped to sponsor legislation that removes the words “oriental” and “negro” from the public health and welfare federal code. The last update to this legislation in the 1970s. The terms have since become antiquated and offensive to these minority groups. To put the update into perspective, the US census only officially stopped using the term “Negro” in 2013. On the importance of having the terminology reflective of the times, UCLA cultural studies professor Paul Ong said “It’s a historical term that people got used to, there’s a whole generation that grew up with [those words]” he said. “[Those terms] reflect old prejudices and biases” he added. Huffington Post

Jon Stewart Returns To The Daily Show

The former host has been busy advocating for the “James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act”, a bill meant to help cover medical expenses for first responders of September 11th who are now suffering from a litany of health problems. As a guest of current show host, Trevor Noah, Stewart specifically called out Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell for causing the bill to stall. “He is the key to getting this done, and so far he has been an enormous obstacle” said Stewart. He recently lobbied on Capitol Hill to encourage members of Congress to recommit their support for the act’s renewal which expired in October. New York Magazine

LeBron James Makes Sports History With Unbelievable New Deal

In an unprecedented business deal, LeBron James has just become Nike’s spokesman for the rest of his life. Even when King James retires, he’ll still be represented by the brand which produces his line of sneakers. In the company’s nearly 50 year history, there hasn’t been an athlete to secure a lifetime endorsement. When LeBron graduated high school and first began playing professionally in 2003 he signed a $93-million seven-year deal followed by a second deal in 2010 which expires in 2019. With the Cavaliers star bringing in nearly $340 million for the company in product sales in 2014 there’s no surprise that Nike would say LeBron, “provides significant value to our business, brand and shareholders.” Mashable